The latest quirk in a sport full of them is that Mexico can get a big assist from its arch rival to the north when World Cup qualifying concludes in the CONCACAF region Tuesday night. If the United States wins or ties at Panama, Mexico is guaranteed at worst a playoff against Oceania champion New Zealand for a berth in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

Mexico can assure that itself, of course, but that requires a win or tie at Costa Rica – a place where road teams rarely win and haven’t in the final round of qualifying. (The United States lost there 3-1 last month.)

There are three games on qualifying’s final night, all kicking off at 6:30 p.m. PDT, all carrying major implications on who goes to Brazil. Here are the scenarios:

--The United States (19 points) and Costa Rica (15) have already clinched two of CONCACAF’s three automatic spots. Honduras (14) gets the third with a win or tie at last-place Jamaica, or with a Mexico tie or loss.

--Mexico (11 points) is mathematically alive for the third spot, but it needs a win at Costa Rica, a Honduras loss and scoring enough goals to prevail in the tiebreaker. Otherwise, El Tri is destined for fourth place and the two-leg playoff against the Kiwis next month.

--Panama (eight points) can still claim fourth place and knock out Mexico, but it takes nothing less than a win against the first-place United States and a Mexico loss.

Also of interest

That Mexico is in a favorable, albeit still tenuous, position is thanks to a 22-year-old forward who made his debut with the senior national team in July. It was Raul Jimenez’s bicycle kick in the 85th-minute Friday that gave El Tri a dramatic 2-1 win against visiting Panama – and gave renewed life to its qualifying chances.

Victor Manuel Vucetich, Mexico’s third coach in as many games, made seven changes from the previous outing, most notably the return of defender Rafael Marquez as starter and captain. Even more impactful were his subs: Tijuana Xolos midfielder Fernando Arce in the 70th minute got the assist, and Jimenez in the 82nd minute got one of the most historic goals in Mexico history.

U.S. coach Jurgen Klinsmann, meanwhile, is expected to start a mixture of regulars and reserves at Estadio Rommel Fernandez in Panama City. He released starters Tim Howard, Landon Donovan, Jermaine Jones and Matt Besler after Friday’s 2-0 win against Jamaica, while Clint Dempsey and Michael Bradley were not called.

The best news for Mexico: The Yanks are 10-1-2 all-time against Panama, and undefeated (2-0-1) on Panamanian soil.

World Cup qualifying

What: Final round of qualifiers in the CONCACAF region for soccer’s 2014 World Cup in Brazil.